Category Archives: Selling a Home

You’re probably looking to accomplish two main things with the sale of your home: Get the most amount of money Complete the process in the least amount of time In our experience, achieving both is a careful balancing act. You can sell your home in a heartbeat with a price low enough and, contrary to this, it will last an eternity on the market if it’s overpriced. You can estimate how long your home will be on the market by taking into consideration your needs and evaluating how other homes […]

This question is a common headache for many homeowners when placing their home on the market.  On one hand, a remodel could create a diamond in the rough, and possibly even encourage a faster sale.  On another, selling as-is in a competitive market could save months of listing time if priced right. When You Should Remodel Analyzing your competition can be a great way to gain insight into what buyers are looking for in your market.  It’s easy to assume a feature or amenity should immediately increase the value of […]

The best way to find a real estate agent is through a recommendation from someone that has used the agent previously. On-line services like GayRealEstate.com have previous client feedback and comments and can help you secure an honest realtor. In the real estate game, so much is about trusted relationships and word of mouth, because buying a home is an investment. You don’t trust just anyone with your car keys or stock portfolio—and this is even more important.  Interview with an agent and price-point your own home Once you have […]

It may be surprising that the associated costs of selling a home can easily add up to thousands of dollars. Selling a home is a major transition for all parties involved, and, if you aren’t properly prepared ahead of time, it may cost you an arm and leg. Repairs are necessary for the sale to close Potential homebuyers and lenders may recommend that you fix a leaky sink, re-shingle or patch a roof, schedule a glass window repair, get door mesh replacement, and fix a cracked foundation. Some of these […]

Median home prices continued to fall last month in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, but a rise in home sales may be a signal the real-estate market is stabilizing. Median home prices continued to fall last month in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, but a rise in home sales may be a signal the real-estate market is stabilizing. In King County, buyers closed on 1,678 houses in July, up nearly 14 percent year-over-year, according to statistics released Thursday by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Snohomish County saw a similar rise […]

The decline in home equity is making it difficult for some retirees to afford senior housing, the USA Today reports. Many seniors often use the sale of a home as significant funding source in order to move into a Build 55+ Community or into long-term community living for seniors and assisted living for seniors such as those found at www.residencesatplainview.com/ and oceanhillsseniorliving.com/living-options/assisted-living/. But with declining home values, some seniors are finding it a struggle to come up with the extra money to pay for senior housing since their homes may […]

Seventy-seven percent of real estate professionals report that closing short sale transactions is “difficult” or “extremely difficult” — up from 70 percent in December 2010, according to a survey conducted in June by the California Association of REALTORS®. The survey gauged real estate professionals’ experience and satisfaction with lenders over transactions. Real estate professionals also reported that lenders’ and servicers’ short-sale procedures have shown little improvement in the past six months. “Despite promises by lenders to improve their short-sale processes, clearly, they are not doing enough,” C.A.R. President Beth L. […]

Buying, selling, insuring your property Ask a real estate pro: Who gets any money left over after a foreclosure? Board-certified real estate attorney Gary M. Singer answers housing questions in this space each Friday. To ask him a question about short sales, mortgages, refinancing, homeowner’s associations or any other residential real estate topic, click here. Q: My friend is facing foreclosure, but she has a good amount of equity in her home. If she does get foreclosed on, and there is money left over, does she get it? – Dean […]

Signed contracts were up 2.4 percent in June, a Realtors group says Pending sales of existing U.S. homes unexpectedly rose in June from May and rose sharply from a year ago, data from a real estate trade group showed on Thursday. The National Association of Realtors Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in June, was up 2.4 percent to 90.9 from 88.8 in May. The index was up 19.8 percent from a year ago. Economists polled by Reuters ahead of the report were expecting pending home sales to […]